Translations of Novels in the Romanian Culture during the Interwar Period and WWII (1918-1944): A Quantitative Perspective

Ștefan Baghiu

doi:10.24193/mjcst.2021.12.02

Abstract

This article continues the quantitative analysis of translations of novels in Romania for the 1918-1944 period. Baghiu discusses the decay of the French novel (from almost 70% of the total of translated novels during the long 19th century to almost 43% during the interwar period), and the case of two competitors in the second line of translations (American and Russian). The article turns then to the European and Global peripheries from the perspective of the colonial ‘20s and ‘30s, and discusses the eco narratives of the Nordic novel, and the identity function of the Asian novel within this translationscape.

Highlights

METACRITIC JOURNAL FOR COMPARATIVE STUDIES AND THEORY 7.2 we are to credit Sean Cotter, who envisions that “the minor is not a failed state or a potentially great one, but a translated nation” (Cotter 2), and that translations fulfilled their accommodation role they were assigned during the long 19th century
The “golden age” of the Romanian novel is marked by strategies that bolster the introduction of several foreign narrative techniques into the literary discourse, beyond mere translation
In addition to the French novel – which is the main source of translations – the hierarchy is the following: 1) the top importers are no different from the 19th century ones, but they are in a different order: The English novel – the greatest runner in the translation race, the American novel, the German & Austrian novel, the Russian, and the Italian novel

Summary

Introduction

METACRITIC JOURNAL FOR COMPARATIVE STUDIES AND THEORY 7.2 we are to credit Sean Cotter, who envisions that “the minor is not a failed state or a potentially great one, but a translated nation” (Cotter 2), and that translations fulfilled their accommodation role they were assigned during the long 19th century. In addition to the French novel – which is the main source of translations – the hierarchy is the following: 1) the top importers are no different from the 19th century ones, but they are in a different order: The English novel – the greatest runner in the translation race –, the American novel, the German & Austrian novel, the Russian, and the Italian novel.

Results

Conclusion